Swansea and Ipswich bands to open the V Festival

Virgin Media has today announced the winners of the Road To V unsigned band competition.

The Last Republic

Underline The Sky

With over 2,600 bands applying for this year’s Road to V, the competition was fierce, but now the much anticipated winners have been revealed:

Welsh rock quintet The Last Republic and pop punk band Underline The Sky, from Ipswich!

This year’s mentors, Just Jack and The Charlatans, whittled the ten semi-finalists down to the final six, but this year it was the public who decided that The Last Republic and Underline The Sky should be the lucky unsigned acts to open the V Festival in Stafford and Chelmsford on 22nd and 23rd August and appear on the same line up as Oasis, The Killers and Snow Patrol.

Read The Charlatans interview on Band Weblogs!

The Last Republic lead singer, Jonnie Owen, commented, “We have been following the Road to V competition for years and it was a dream to enter but to get this far and to know we are going to perform at probably the coolest festival of the summer is untrue. We can’t believe our luck and we just can’t wait to get on stage now and give it our best”

Underline the Sky lead singer, Bronwyn Cooper commented, “We got into this competition through our fans. We have worked so hard to keep their support and attract new fans along the way, and you have no idea how very grateful we are for them. The competition was immense, but the hard work had paid off now and our dream has come true. Bring on V Festival!”

Both bands were recognised for their mesmerising performances at Brighton’s The Great Escape festival where they opened for the Road to V mentors, The Charlatans and Just Jack.

Ashley Stockwell, executive director of brand and marketing at Virgin Media commented: “This year’s Road to V competition was of an incredibly high standard and we were delighted by the sheer number and variety of bands who entered. Our finalists ‘wowed’ our mentors with their performances at The Great Escape and then finally won over the hearts - and ears - of their fans in the public vote. Congratulations to The Last Republic and Underline The Sky - we can’t wait to see their performances at the V Festival.”

Since 2004, Road to V has nurtured great new talent with bands such as quirky post-punk trio The Young Knives, who opened V Festival and went on to attract a Mercury Award nomination in 2007 for their second album ‘Voices of Animals and Men’. Other successful Road to V winners include the critically acclaimed Bombay Bicycle Club, The Rebs and The Brightlights.

To find out more about Road to V, fans can visit www.roadtov.com, where they can watch exclusive interviews, extended shows and performances. Customers on all mobile networks can also keep up-to-date and get access to exclusive video clips on their mobile by texting R2V to 801591.

The Road to V winners will be showcased on Friday 7th August, 2009 at 6:55 pm on Virgin1. As well as being broadcast on Virgin1, the full Road to V shows are available on Virgin Media’s Music On Demand.

A show documenting Underline the Sky and The Last Republic’s experience at V Festival will air on Friday 4th September at 6.55pm.

The Last Republic MySpace

Underline The Sky MySpace

For more information on Virgin Media products and services visit:

Virgin Media

Road to V Official Website

The Charlatans and Just Jack are set to mentor the finalists of Road to V - the UK's biggest and longest running search for unsigned musical talent.

Watch "Weirdo" video:

With a history of V Festival performances to their name, now on their tenth studio album and famous for a string of hits including indie classics such as "The Only One I Know" and "Weirdo", The Charlatans will be mentoring the ten finalists of the competition, before two winners are eventually decided by a public vote.

The recruitment of Just Jack and The Charlatans as mentors marks a first for Virgin Media, which has refreshed the format of Road to V for 2009, offering entrants the chance to be nurtured by established musicians for the very first time.

The two winning acts will open up the mighty V Festival, which takes place this summer, in Chelmsford and Stafford on 22nd to 23rd August 2009.

The Charlatans EXCLUSIVE interview with Jenny May:

Jenny May: What are you planning to do as mentor for the finalists of the Road to V unsigned band competition?

Martin: We're looking forward to basically hanging out and playing with them. It was important to us to find someone who is good enough to open V Festival now - not in 3 or 4 months time.

Jon: For me, when it comes to talking to a band who's just starting out, it's really important we tell the truth. We're not out to give advice necessarily because usually people do the opposite - just tell the truth. It's a big deal, advice - and the last thing we want to do is be condescending.

So far, which V Festival has been the best one that you've played at and why?

Jon: 2008 V Festival was great last year because we headlined. We really like being able to play outdoors. Everyone there was just really nice. Good and decent.

Tony: Yeah, V was great. I also have a special place in my heart for the first Isle of Wight. We had a great spot at Glastonbury one year at dusk.

What tracks/artists have you been listening to lately?

Tim: Wow. Ummm, I'm really liking La Roux right now. They're sort of an electro outfit. Really great.

How have things changed for bands since The Charlatans started out, compared to bands starting out now?

Tony: It's a lot easier and a lot harder. Easier because you can sound really great for really cheap, but at the same time there are so many more people all trying to do the same.

Mark: You can do so many amazing things with a laptop. Producing a really quality tune for cheap is really easy now versus when we were starting out, but it still boils down to creativity and professionalism.

What is your songwriting process as a band?

Tim: It really depends on who's most passionate. We don't all five of us sit down in the same room and write songs together. Usually it's a singular idea brought in and...

Mark: Expounded on.

Tim: Yeah.

Who has inspired you the most musically?

Tim: New Order. A band called The Prisoners.

Jon: The Stone Roses. They did sort of a similar thing with mentoring us as we're doing for bands in Road to V. They really took us under their wing when we went on tour in the beginning of the band.

The Charlatans on amazon.co.uk

The Charlatans UK on amazon.com

For more music, dates and information, go to:

Road To V

Virgin Media

The Charlatans Official Website
The Charlatans on Twitter
MySpace

Photo: The Charlatans

Virgin Media today announced that Just Jack and The Charlatans will mentor the finalists of Road to V - the UK’s biggest and longest running search for unsigned musical talent.

Genre-fusing Just Jack, caused a sensation with his breakthrough Brit Hop style... mixing up beats, melodies and witty, conversational lyrics to funky home made loops, creating a sound that has influenced a generation of bedroom beat poets.

The Charlatans, with a history of V Festival performances to their name, now on their tenth studio album and famous for a string of hits including indie classics such as "The Only One I Know" and "Weirdo", will join Just Jack in mentoring the ten lucky finalists of the competition, before two winners are eventually decided by a public vote.

Although coming from two completely different perspectives (both musically and lyrically), these two prolific artists with their combined experience, will offer a complete package of advice to fledgling acts in developing their sound and image, and help set them up for a career in music.

Photo: Just Jack

The recruitment of Just Jack and The Charlatans as mentors marks a first for Virgin Media, which has refreshed the format of Road to V for 2009, offering entrants the chance to be nurtured by established musicians for the very first time. In previous years, Road to V consisted of a judging panel of industry professionals, who selected the finalists before going on to decide on two winning acts.

The competition is now open for registrations, and two winning acts will open up the mighty V Festival, which takes place this summer, in Chelmsford and Stafford on 22nd to 23rd August, 2009.

Acts have until 12th April 2009 to head to www.roadtov.com to register and be in with a chance of being one of the ten final acts to make it through to the live stage of the competition.

Not only will the lucky finalists be mentored by our established artists, they will also get the once in a life time opportunity to play alongside them at the Great Escape festival in Brighton on 14th to 16th May.

In addition, the ten finalists will all appear, with their mentors, on the Road to V show on Virgin 1 which began Friday 3rd April 2009, and airs on every first Friday of the month until August.

You can also tune in to watch extended shows with exclusive interviews and performances on Virgin Media’s music on demand service and on the Road to V website - www.roadtov.com.

After the Great Escape, the artist mentors will whittle the final ten down to six remaining acts. Then it’s over to the fans to decide who wins the ultimate prize of opening one of the UK’s biggest music festivals - V.

Since 2004, Road to V has nurtured great new talent, with bands such as quirky post-punk trio The Young Knives and Bombay Bicycle Club achieving nationwide success. The Young Knives attracted a Mercury Award nomination in 2007 for their second album, 'Voices of Animals', and the Bombay Bicycle club signed a deal with Island Records in 2008.

Rosie Spooner, head of music sponsorship at Virgin Media said, “Road to V is all about the music; it’s so important to have a good calibre of mentors, who can make a real difference to our unsigned music talent. Just Jack has his third album out this year and his new single ‘Embers’ is currently all over the radio, The Charlatans are touring throughout the year and doing special projects like Road to V. Both artists have caused a sensation in their own musical ways - coming from very different musical backgrounds, loved by millions and offering our acts the advice they need to succeed.”

The Charlatans drummer, Jon Brookes comments, “We as mentors will offer the truth to any band that asks us to talk with them about our experiences. It won’t be a pupil / teacher vibe, but something more subtle, a guide or confidant. Hopefully it will be a two-way arrangement and we will all get to share something.”

Whilst Just Jack added, “I’m really looking forward to being a Road to V mentor. When you write songs obviously you put everything into them - however, you need honesty as an artist and you need to hear honest opinions from people”.

Road To V - for more information and to register

Virgin Media Official Website